Highland Explorer Tours

Highland Explorer Tours runs its own guided day and multi-day coach tours around Scotland, with departures from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. The homepage offers "1-day Highland getaways to extensive 2 to 8 day adventures across the Scottish Highlands, venturing as far as the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland." The about page says the brand "began its journey in 2006" and is part of the Edinburgh-based Radical Travel Group Ltd, which it describes as a company with 30 years of experience running tours in Scotland; the footer adds that Highland Explorer is part of The Travel Corporation family of brands. The office is at 60 High Street on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

The company's tour menu spans geographies and themes. Multi-day tours from Edinburgh include a 3-day Isle of Skye and Highlands tour, a 3-day Winter Highlands option, a 4-day Mull, Iona and Staffa experience, a 5-day Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and Inverness tour, a 5-day Winter Wonders package, a 6-day Isle of Skye and Outer Hebrides experience, and an 8-day Isle of Skye, Orkney and North Coast 500 adventure. From Inverness, the site lists 1 to 5 day tours including a 1-day Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle trip, a 1-day Fairy Pools and Dunvegan Castle option, a 1-day Harry Potter Train and Scenic Highlands tour, a 1-day Loch Ness, Whisky and Outlander tour, a 3-day Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and West Highlands package, a 3-day Orkney Islands and Northern Highlands trip, and a 5-day Isle of Skye Community and Outdoor Adventure. From Glasgow the operator offers day tours to destinations including the Kelpies, Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond, Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness, Glen Coe and Oban, and West Highlands with Glen Coe and the Jacobite Steam Train. The company also lists day tours from Edinburgh covering Loch Ness, Loch Lomond with Stirling Castle, Scottish Glens and Whisky, Alnwick Castle and the Borders, Scottish Highlands with Jacobite Steam Train, and St Andrews and the Fife Coast.

The site explains its 3 starting cities in its own words. Edinburgh, with its old town and festivals, is described as "a phenomenal base for a Scotland tour." Inverness is "The most direct gateway to the Highlands," good for those who want small-town Scottish life and a quick start. Glasgow is "A great base for trips around Scotland, with fantastic transport connections." Winter has its own program: a 3-day Winter Highlands tour and the 5-day Winter Wonders of Scotland tour from Edinburgh, which one reviewer took in the first week of November, going up to Oban, the Isle of Skye and Inverness. Another review describes a 3-day winter tour starting on November 20th.

The tour themes are how the site groups these trips: Isle of Skye, castles, Loch Ness, the Jacobite Steam Train, Outlander filming locations, winter tours, whisky, and a responsible-travel line called MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences, which the site describes as "a balanced mix between sightseeing and creating a positive impact in Scotland." The Outlander page is detailed. It names Doune Castle (Castle Leoch in the series), Falkland, Culross, Blackness Castle and Midhope Castle, visited on day tours from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns and Beauly on the 1-day Loch Ness, Whisky & Outlander tour from Inverness and the 5-day Isle of Skye, Loch Ness & Inverness tour from Edinburgh. It notes that Linlithgow Palace replaces Doune Castle when Doune is closed. For Orkney, the site promises "Orkney's Neolithic sites, Norse heritage, and dramatic coastal views." The 4-day Mull, Iona and Staffa tour includes a wildlife cruise, and some Highland tours include an optional ride on the Jacobite Steam Train.

How the Tours Run

The guides also drive. Reviews quoted on the site name guide-drivers such as Tim, Charlie, Paul, Louise and Torva, and the about page calls the guides "highly trained and friendly locals." The fleet page describes "Mercedes-Benz 16-seater mini coaches" for smaller groups and larger midi-coaches. On multi-day tours, the homepage says "Each multi-day tour offers handpicked accommodations and breakfast as part of the package." All trips come with "free audio guides in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Mandarin" for guests who prefer another language to the English commentary. Reviewers mention regular stops for photos, snacks and toilets, and one describes the guide adapting the route in bad weather.

Booking and Contact

Tours are booked online. The homepage says guests can "Reserve your spot on selected multi-day tours with a small deposit and pay the rest later," and it advertises last-minute discounts, special offers and year-round group savings, with some tours marked "10% Off." Private group tours and a "craft your own tour" service cover custom trips, from whisky trails and golf breaks to tracing a clan's history. Gift vouchers, a brochure, a monthly newsletter and a travel agent program are also offered. The office phone is +44 131 558 3738, open Monday to Sunday from 9:00am to 8:00pm UK time, and the email is info@highlandexplorertours.com.

The about page cites a VisitScotland 5-star accreditation, a TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice award "every year since 2013," and a Green Tourism Award since 2016. The homepage shows a "96% Guest Recommendation Rate."

What the Site Leaves Open, and Who It Suits

Prices on the tour cards appear in the visitor's currency, so the listing does not quote them here; each tour shows its own "From" price per person. The homepage and about pages do not state the cancellation terms, the deposit amount, a minimum age or the maximum group size on each tour, although the 16-seat mini coach gives a sense of scale on smaller departures. There is an Accessibility page in the menu, but the tour listings do not summarize it.

Highland Explorer Tours suits travelers who want a guided coach tour of Skye, Loch Ness, Orkney or the Outlander sites without driving, with hotels and breakfast arranged on multi-day trips, and who like the choice of starting in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness. It suits non-English speakers who are happy with an audio guide, and solo travelers, whom several quoted reviews mention. It suits less well travelers who want to set their own pace, since these are fixed itineraries with a group.